How Do You Know?
by Corky the Quirk
Summary: When you can choose her over anything else, that's when you know for sure.


**Author's Note: **So this isn't my best ever...but I needed to write something, so here it is. It's kind of sappy and whatnot, but I wasn't really feeling the angst. I'd like to thank Blackbirdox for the use of the name "Mallory" :)

**Disclaimer:** I own basically nothing...

* * *

**i. coin laundry**

Charlie Dalton was glaring at the dryer before him. "No." He pursed his lips and beat his fist on the cool, white metal. "No, no, no, no!" he muttered to himself, shaking it furiously and punching the coin return button without mercy. Needless to say, he received no quarters, which pissed him off all the more. "I worked hard for that two dollars!" he yelled at the machine, which continued to sit perfectly still, informing him that he needed to insert the correct amount of change in order to dry his sopping clothing. "You dirty little fuc—"

"Did you need help?"

Charlie clamped his mouth shut and glanced to his left, where a young woman around his age was leaning against the dryer beside him, grinning and watching him as he attempted to reason with his own machine. He gulped, licking his lips. "It stole my two dollars…" he pathetically explained.

The girl's grin spread across her face. "It tends to do that, but if you just…" She reached over and wiggled the coin insert before slamming it forward with extreme force. The machine puttered before beginning a drying cycle. "…do that, then it'll work. Or, if you're lucky and know your way around this Laundromat, it'll give you a free load." She smirked. "So I take it you're new around here." She extended her hand with a friendly smile. "I'm Mal."

Charlie stared in disbelief at the now working dryer. He blinked down at the girl's hand. "Huh?" he asked, still in shock that it was that simple. "Oh! Uh…my name's Charlie. Charlie Dalton." He said, shaking her hand before running his other through his hair, which was unnaturally unkempt. "And, yeah…I guess you could say I'm new around here." He had lived in that town for years, but it was only within the recent weeks that he'd been kicked out of his house, declared a disgrace, and now was out of clean clothes.

Mal held back a smile. "Well, if you need anything, I'm going to be over here," she informed him, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at a few washing machines. "Nice meeting you, Charlie." She gave him the once over before returning to her own bag of laundry.

Charlie watched for a moment, his eyes widening when she dropped a particularly see through bra. He took a deep breath, licked his lips, and made his way over to the girl. "Excuse me…but I don't think I caught your number?"

**ii. young love**

Charlie had certainly changed after Neil's death and his expulsion from Welton. He supposed that change was for the better though, as he lay in bed with Mallory beside him. She was asleep at the moment, and Charlie was staring up at the ceiling. They had gone out for a few months, something the old Charlie would never have put up with, and he was certain there was something special about Mal that no other girl had. When he saw her, his world stopped turning and his breath caught in his throat. The only times that had happened before were when he opened up a new Playboy centerfold and was pleasantly shocked by the visual.

But it was different with Mal. Yes, he loved seeing her naked and pretending she was his own personal Playboy, but it was more than that. She could be bundled up during the coldest months of winter, and he'd still just stare and smile. Not even smirk. He'd just smile until they got within touching distance, and then he would wrap her up in his arms, pulling her close and spinning her around until he plopped her back down on the ground and planted a kiss on her lips. He wouldn't even attempt to feel her up. Which was a big step for Charlie Dalton.

He lolled his head to the side and traced the outlines of her peaceful face with his eyes, knowing she was all he needed right now. He didn't need the inheritance his parents had reclaimed as their own due to his rebellion. He didn't need booze or random hook-ups like he had at first. He didn't need anything but Mallory Portman. And he had her there in his arms. And it was perfect.

**iii. where did i go right?**

Charlie took a sip of his beer, ripping his eyes away from the bar's TV screen to look over at his friends. "But…how do you know?" he repeated, receiving eye rolls from both Steven and Knox.

"You just do," Knox replied, as if love were a simple thing. "You look at the girl and the moment you see her you know."

"And then I ask if she's Chet Danbury's mother?" Charlie replied sarcastically, since Knox wasn't helping very much.

Knox scowled as Steven rolled his eyes. "He's right, Charlie," the bespectacled boy said. "It's something you just know." He shrugged. "You don't necessarily know right away like Knox here, but suddenly, you just know."

Charlie sighed. "Well when did it happen for you and Cam? You guys have been married for a year now…"

Steven took a deep breath, sipping from his own beer. "Well…I don't know…one day I just woke up and…I loved her." He blinked over at Charlie. "I think the fact that you're worrying over this is a sign that you're on your way. Or you're already there and you just don't know."

"But you said I'd know!"

"Love is a tricky thing…" Knox mused, staring at the soccer game on the television.

"You are no help, sir!" Charlie declared, pointing at him in an accusatory way.

"Your team just scored a goal," Knox replied in monotone, blowing into his bottle to make a whistling sound.

"What?" Charlie squealed, swiveling on his stool to face the game again.

"What would you rather have, Charlie?" Steven asked. "Soccer, or Mallory."

Charlie went stock still. "What kind of question is that, Meeks? Would you rather have technology or Camille? What now, Meeksie? What now?"

Steven raised an eyebrow. "Cam."

Charlie blinked in surprise at how fast Steven's response was, his jaw dropping slightly.

Steven sighed, shaking his head. "When you can easily pick Mal over anything, then you'll know for sure."

Charlie furrowed his brows, glancing back up at the TV. He was in no mood for soccer anymore.

"Hey, guys?" Charlie said, sliding off the stool and placing his empty beer bottle on the bar with a few dollar bills. "I think I'm going to head back to the apartment."

Knox's eyes widened. "But the game's still going!" he protested, flailing his arms at the screen.

Charlie smirked. "I know," he replied, whisking past the two of them and out the bar door.

Knox shook his head. "I don't think I will ever understand him."

Steven grinned. "He's in love, Knox. Give him a break."

**iv. make me believe**

"I love you," Charlie smirked, placing another kiss on Mal's lips. "I love you…I love you…I love you…" He murmured between kisses, burrowing his nose against her neck as he supported himself above her.

She laughed, running a hand through his hair. "What has gotten into you, Charlie?" she asked with a smile, staring up into his chocolate eyes when he pulled back to look down at her.

He shrugged, leaning in and pressing another kiss to her lips. "I just…love you," he repeated for about the millionth time.

Mal sighed in content, loosely wrapping her arms around her neck. "And I love you, too," she reminded him.

"I love you more," Charlie argued, nipping gently at the spot below her ear.

Mal snorted. "Doubtful."

"Marry me."

**v. something beautiful**

"Emerson!" Charlie yelled across the front yard. "God damn it…" he mumbled to himself, catching up with his ten year old son. "You can't go around breaking people's windows and then running away!" he scolded. "This is why I told you to become interested in soccer…most of the time soccer balls won't break windows." His son nodded, filing that tip in the recesses of his mind for the next time he decided to play sports with a friend. "See, baseballs are a lot harder and they break things more easily…now if you apologize to the Newtons and make it sound like a sincere apology, they'll probably let you off the hook."

Mal came running out of the house when she heard the commotion, Theodore sitting comfortably on her hip as she carried him. "Charlie? What's going on?"

Charlie glanced up, both he and Emerson adopting the puppy eyed look. "Oh…nothing…I've got it taken care of, babe," he assured Mal with a smile that his son copied perfectly.

Mal raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "Okay…" she replied, turning around and walking back into the house.

Charlie quickly turned back to his son. "I won't tell Mom you broke that window if you join your school's soccer team," he promised, holding his hand out to strike a deal.

Emerson's eyebrow peaked exactly as if he were a clone of Charlie. "Nice try, Pops, but I'm into baseball. The chicks dig it," he informed his stunned father before sauntering up the front steps and into the cozy house Charlie had purchased after the wedding eleven years ago.

Charlie stared after his son, baffled. "What sort of son of mine doesn't like soccer?" he asked himself, following in his son's footsteps, the aroma of dinner wafting through the front windows. He shrugged. "Well there's always hope for Teddy…"

* * *

**the end**


End file.
